"The cry for the simplification of the Rules of Golf is a stock-in-trade of the journalist during the winter months. Countless words on the subject have been poured out to an ever-tolerant public, but still the long-sought simplification does not come."—Henry Longhurst, 1937

The hopes of renowned writer and golfer Henry Longhurst—and millions of golfers before and after him—have finally been realized. In The Rules of Golf in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner, American English language and usage expert, and Jeffrey S. Kuhn, volunteer USGA rules official, have translated the knotty Rules with the encouragement and permission of the United States Golf Association. The result is a modern, readable version that offers, for the first time, clear guidance to both amateurs and professionals.

Based on a 338-word set of thirteen rules written in 1744, the official Rules have grown, over two and a half centuries, to 40,000 words. Numerous contributors and a complex revision process have rendered these Rules so opaque and stylistically inconsistent that a companion volume—the 600-page Decisions on the Rules of Golf—has been published to help golfers navigate them.

Both lawyers and avid golfers, Kuhn and Garner recognized the difficulties that the language of the Rules of Golf created, especially in a sport that expects players to call penalties on themselves. By reworking the Rules line by line, word by word, they have produced an accessible resource that no golfer—from the duffer to the pro—should be without.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Jeffrey S. Kuhn is a lawyer and a volunteer USGA rules official. He has achieved the highest rating at PGA/USGA rules workshops and has officiated at U.S. Opens, U.S. Amateurs, and numerous other USGA championships. Bryan A. Garner is the author of several bestselling books, including Garner’s Modern American Usage and Legal Writing in Plain English, the latter published by the University of Chicago Press. He is also the editor-in-chief of Black’s Law Dictionary.

REVIEWS

"Lee Trevino once said that the Rules of Golf should sit inside a matchbook. If the situation wasn't covered there, you'd add a stroke and keep playing. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Today's rule book is as big as ever and the decisions regarding those rules could fill a small phone book. To the rescue comes The Rules of Golf in Plain English. Authors Jeffrey Kuhn, a volunteer USGA rules official, and Bryan Garner, an English language and usage expert, with permission from the USGA have tried to put the rules in simpler terms and words that are more understandable. They've also included changes made this year that will be in effect until 2007. The book is handy in size and easily fits in a golf bag."

— George Sweda, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Any golfer who has thumbed through the Rules of Golf knows it's as readable as the federal tax code. So dense and impenetrable are the rules that an entire cottage industry of books exists to explain how to proceed. . . . The latest book is The Rules of Golf in Plain English. As unlikely as it might seem, the coauthors are a couple of Texas lawyers, Bryan Garner and Jeff Kuhn, who met when Kuhn enrolled in a seminar Garner was teaching on how to write legal briefs that weren't full of legalese. . . . Among those praising their efforts are David Fey, executive director of the USGA, and Jamie Conkling, a PGA Tour rules official."

— Joe Logan, Philadelphia Inquirer

"It's a shame that this book is even necessary, but it sure beats reading the official rules of golf."

— Craig Smith, Seattle Times

"The Rules of Golf in Plain English is exactly what its title promises. . . . I recommend it heartily."

— Paul McNamera, Volunteer Rules Official for Southern California PGA

"The Rules of Golf in Plain English doesn't take shortcuts, but is written to make the rules clearer to readers. A wonderful teaching aid."

— Jamie Conkling, PGA Tour Rules official

"The Rules of Golf in Plain English is a valuable tool for anyone with an interest in the Rules of Golf . . . . Clear, useful, and very authoritative."

"The cry for the simplification of the Rules of Golf is a stock-in-trade of the journalist during the winter months. Countless words on the subject have been poured out to an ever-tolerant public, but still the long-sought simplification does not come."—Henry Longhurst, 1937

The hopes of renowned writer and golfer Henry Longhurst—and millions of golfers before and after him—have finally been realized. In The Rules of Golf in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner, American English language and usage expert, and Jeffrey S. Kuhn, volunteer USGA rules official, have translated the knotty Rules with the encouragement and permission of the United States Golf Association. The result is a modern, readable version that offers, for the first time, clear guidance to both amateurs and professionals.

Based on a 338-word set of thirteen rules written in 1744, the official Rules have grown, over two and a half centuries, to 40,000 words. Numerous contributors and a complex revision process have rendered these Rules so opaque and stylistically inconsistent that a companion volume—the 600-page Decisions on the Rules of Golf—has been published to help golfers navigate them.

Both lawyers and avid golfers, Kuhn and Garner recognized the difficulties that the language of the Rules of Golf created, especially in a sport that expects players to call penalties on themselves. By reworking the Rules line by line, word by word, they have produced an accessible resource that no golfer—from the duffer to the pro—should be without.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Jeffrey S. Kuhn is a lawyer and a volunteer USGA rules official. He has achieved the highest rating at PGA/USGA rules workshops and has officiated at U.S. Opens, U.S. Amateurs, and numerous other USGA championships. Bryan A. Garner is the author of several bestselling books, including Garner’s Modern American Usage and Legal Writing in Plain English, the latter published by the University of Chicago Press. He is also the editor-in-chief of Black’s Law Dictionary.

REVIEWS

"Lee Trevino once said that the Rules of Golf should sit inside a matchbook. If the situation wasn't covered there, you'd add a stroke and keep playing. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Today's rule book is as big as ever and the decisions regarding those rules could fill a small phone book. To the rescue comes The Rules of Golf in Plain English. Authors Jeffrey Kuhn, a volunteer USGA rules official, and Bryan Garner, an English language and usage expert, with permission from the USGA have tried to put the rules in simpler terms and words that are more understandable. They've also included changes made this year that will be in effect until 2007. The book is handy in size and easily fits in a golf bag."

— George Sweda, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Any golfer who has thumbed through the Rules of Golf knows it's as readable as the federal tax code. So dense and impenetrable are the rules that an entire cottage industry of books exists to explain how to proceed. . . . The latest book is The Rules of Golf in Plain English. As unlikely as it might seem, the coauthors are a couple of Texas lawyers, Bryan Garner and Jeff Kuhn, who met when Kuhn enrolled in a seminar Garner was teaching on how to write legal briefs that weren't full of legalese. . . . Among those praising their efforts are David Fey, executive director of the USGA, and Jamie Conkling, a PGA Tour rules official."

— Joe Logan, Philadelphia Inquirer

"It's a shame that this book is even necessary, but it sure beats reading the official rules of golf."

— Craig Smith, Seattle Times

"The Rules of Golf in Plain English is exactly what its title promises. . . . I recommend it heartily."

— Paul McNamera, Volunteer Rules Official for Southern California PGA

"The Rules of Golf in Plain English doesn't take shortcuts, but is written to make the rules clearer to readers. A wonderful teaching aid."

— Jamie Conkling, PGA Tour Rules official

"The Rules of Golf in Plain English is a valuable tool for anyone with an interest in the Rules of Golf . . . . Clear, useful, and very authoritative."